the Possum

Also known as: Possum · Role: animal · First appears: Myth 18 · Why the Possum's Tail Is Bare

In Myth 18, the Cricket secretly clipped the hair from the Possum’s tail while winding string around it; the Possum “never knew it.” When night came, the Possum saw that his tail was bare.

In Myth 22, after being beaten, the Possum pretended to be dead, then jumped up and escaped when he saw his chance. In Myth 31, he killed the wolf by lodging a large persimmon in the wolf’s throat.

Relationship record

Life events

• The Cricket secretly clipped all the hair from the Possum’s tail.(Myth 18 · Why the Possum's Tail Is Bare)
  • With: the Cricket
  • “But all this time, as he wound the string around, he was clipping off the hair close to the roots, and the Possum never knew it.”
• The Possum discovered that his tail had been stripped bare.(Myth 18 · Why the Possum's Tail Is Bare · 📍 the townhouse)
  • “Then he looked down at his beautiful tail and saw that there was not a hair left upon it, but that it was as bare as the tail of a lizard.”
• The Possum pretends to be dead, then jumps up and escapes after being beaten.(Myth 22 · The Rabbit and the Possum after a Wife)
  • “They had nearly beaten the life out of him when he fell over and pretended to be dead until he saw a good chance to jump up and get away.”
• The Possum choked the wolf to death by lodging a large persimmon in his throat.(Myth 31 · The Terrapin's Escape from the Wolves)
  • With: the wolf (Myth 31)
  • “so that it lodged in the wolf's throat as he jumped up at it and choked him to death.”

Myth 18 · Why the Possum's Tail Is Bare

• enemies with the Rabbit “became very jealous and made up his mind to play the Possum a trick.”
• enemies with the Cricket “But all this time, as he wound the string around, he was clipping off the hair close to the roots, and the Possum never knew it.”

Myth 22 · The Rabbit and the Possum after a Wife

• enemies with the Rabbit (The Rabbit's deception causes the Possum to be attacked.) “But when the Rabbit got to the townhouse he sent out the word that, as there had been peace so long that everybody was getting lazy the council had ordered that there must be war at once and they must begin right in the townhouse. So they all began fighting, but the Rabbit made four great leaps and got away just as the Possum came in. Everybody jumped on the Possum, who had not thought of bringing his weapons on a wedding trip, and so could not defend himself.”

Myth 31 · The Terrapin's Escape from the Wolves

• enemies with the wolf (Myth 31) “The Possum waited his chance, and at last managed to throw down a large one (some say a bone which he carried with him), so that it lodged in the wolf's throat as he jumped up at it and choked him to death.”

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Extracted from the original text of Myths of the Cherokee. Made with Rho MD.